User blog:JoeyTheN64Guy/Stress - How to cope with it.
Heyo. Welcome to the guide we all need. This will be on the subject of stress build up. It is known that if we do NOT deal with the stress and anxiety in our life, that would result in a worsening immune system. First of all, what is coping? Coping is the efforts to deal with demands that we perceive as taxing/overwhelming. Now, we have two specific WAYS of coping with things in our lives. Which one are you? *Problem-Focused Coping: Direct. To reduce, modify, or eliminate source of stress. (I.e: Removing oneself from stressful situation.) *Emotion-Focused Coping: When you cannot fight, escape, or modify stressor (source of stress). To reduce the emotional impact of stressor. (I.e: Prayer, denial, humor.) It is ideal in life to have both of these, but people tend to lean against one of these most. Psychological means of reducing stress in an easy bullet list: *Large complex stressful event? Break down the problems into small goals & accomplishable tasks, when one's done, give yourself a reward. *Act NOW. Dealing with problems will restore feeling of control over life & self efficacy belief. Do NOT isolate youself, seek support in others instead. *Helps others. You will feel LESS like the victim, and MORE like the contributor. *Use Problem-Focused Coping for changeable situations, and Emotion-Focused Coping for accepting situations, it will reduce anxiety. *Do NOT use substances as a means to cope. (I.e: People tend to drink alcohol to help cope, but excessive use works as a DEPRESSANT.) Health, disease, optimism, hardiness & social support: Studies have shown that close family and friends have positive effect on the immune system. Depression leads to a negative effect on immune system. High stress is correlated with infectious disease. Optimism: Positive attitude = Better physical health. Optimists cope better with stress = Reduce risk of illness. Optimists tend to seek help, and see the positives. Hardiness: Comprised of commitment, control, and challenge. "Hardy" individuals have strong commitment to work/personal life, has the feeling and sense of control, capable of finding solutions and welcomes challenges. Social Support: Support network provides help, information, and advice. It provides the feeling that we are loved, valued, self esteemed, and cared for. Positive effects on immune system, endocrine, and cardiovascular systems. Lifestyle & Health: *Aerobic Exercise or progressive relaxation. Flexing and relaxing different muscle groups throughout body and manage mental stress ( be aware of your mind wandering & experiencing stress responses when nothing actually happened. ) *'STRESS INNOCULATION: '''Replace negative thinking with positive. (I.e: "I can come up with a plan to handle the problem." or "If I take one step at a time, I know how to handle the situation.") *'BREATHING: When stressed, we tend to breathe shallow & rapid. Breathe deeply from abdomen. *Work off stress, do physical work. (I.e: Running, job, sports, etc.) ''"Laughter is the best medecine."'' is actually a psychologically correct quote. Laugh. Have a good time. It'll create good endorphins that boost overall mood.' Reference: ''The World of Psychology Third Custom Edition. Category:Blog posts